Rail coupling



May l5, 1923.

E. T. BENNINGTON RAIL COUPLING Filed Nov. 29

-ZZZ/ Patented May 15, 1%23.

EARL T. BENNINGTON, OF COLONIAL HEIGHTS, OHIO.

RAIL COUPLING.

- Application filed November 29, 1920. Serial No. 127,111.

7'0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, EARL T. BENNINGTON,

a citizen of thellnited States, residing at,

as monorail systems which have overhead tracks with flanges that supportthe wheels I of trolleys or carriers.

The chief object of the invention is to pro- 5 vide a coupling whicheffectively joins tov gether two adjoining rails, and which holds themin absolute alignment without liability of one rail twisting withreference to the other.

The invention may be briefly summarized as consisting in certain noveldetails of construction and combinations and arrangments of parts whichwill be described in the specification and set forth in the appendedclaims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view of the twoclamping plates of the coupling omitting the clamping screws which areemployed therewith; Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the oppositeside of'the coupling to that seen in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan View'of the same; Fig. 1 is an end view of the complete coupling showing oneof the 'railsin section; and Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional viewsubstantially along the line 55 of Fig. 1, looking in the-directionindicated by the arrow.

- In this instance the rails to be joined are 40 of the section shown at10 in Fig. 4, that is to say, the rails are T-shaped in cross sectionwith an upper head 10 a web 10", and lower flanges 10 along which thewheels of the trolleys are adapted to pass. However, it is not essentialto my invention that the rails have the shape herein shown.

The coupling includes two clamping membe'rs 11 and 12, which arepreferably though I not necessarily in the form of stampings. Thesemembers are of such length that they will overlap the abutting oradjoining ends of two adjacent rails and will extend for a suitabledistance, such as eight or ten inches, on each side of the joint so asto eliectively support the free ends of the rails, which tree ends areof necessity located some distance from the main rail supports whichengage the rails at intervals and support them.

This coupling is of a design such that it envelops the heads of the tworails. and clamps them tightly in position, and also extends downwardand securely clamps the webs of the rails so as tohold them in com-'plete alignment. To this end thev clamping plates 11 and 12 are providedwithoutwardly bowed portions 13 which extend over the top downwardlyaround the sides, and to an extent inwardly under the heads of the tworails forming in effect a head receiving compartmentwith headengagingshoulders or k abutments 14-, formed by giving the plates an inward bowor depression which extends the full length of both clamps; I From theseinward depressions or bowing the plates extend downward with convexcurvature,

and at their lower ends are curved inwardly to form clamping jaws 15which are design ed to engage opposite sides of, the'webs of the tworails just above their flanges 10?.

The plate 11 hasups'tanding arms 16, there being in this instance threeof these arms,

each having at its base a slot 17. Similarly the plate 12 has acorresponding number of arms 18 which are narrowerthan the'arms 16 andare in this instance, thoughnot necessarily, bifurcated. These arms 18extend through the slots 17 forming crossed portions of such a naturethat when the arms 16 and 18 are pressed together and secured togetheras by means of screws 19, the two plates fulcrum at the points where thearms 18 pass through the slots at the bases of the arms 16, producing astrong inward pressure of the jaws 15 on the webs" of the two rails.Preferably the screws'l) pass through elongated openings in thebifurcated arms 18 and through tapped openings in the arms 16, asclearly shown in the drawings.

Additionally the plates carry meansfor solidly clamping the heads of thetwo rails down against the inwardly bowed shoulder forming portions 1%.To this end the plate 12 is provided between the arms 16 and also at theextreme ends with straps which ex- 1 tend upwardly as shown at 20,,andthen laterally or at right angles over the heads of the two rails,as shown at 21, the extreme" turned.

opposite clamping plate 11 has correspondin fingers or straps 2 1 whichare much narrower than the straps on the plates 12, these straps orfingers 24: extending into the notches 22 and provided at their upperends with 'l -shaped-heads 25 which overlie the free ends of the strapsfirst mentioned. The

portions 21 of the straps on the plate i2 have openings which receiveclamping screws or bolts 26 which are directly above and in line withthe center line of the heads of the two rails. These screws or bolts areprovided with nuts 27 located beneath the portions 21 of the straps onthe'plate 12 between the upright port-ions of the straps on both platesso as to be held therebj from turning when the screws orbolts 26 are Theresult is that when the screws or bolts 26 are turned down, their lowerends bear solidly onto the heads of the two rails, holding them downagainst the shoulders 1A of the ciampingplates and effectivelypreventing 'endwise movement of the rails in I struction.

the coupling. in nractice there is a tendency of the wheels oi 'motordriven carriers to slide the rails in the couplings; but this tendencyis wholly overcon'ie by this con- At the same time that-the screws areturned down of course the nuts 27 exert an -upper pressure on the upperhorizontal portions 21 of thestraps of the plate 12, but this pressureis resisted by the T-shaped heads on the straps 9A, which prevent upwardbending of the said portions 21 of the v straps.

Withthis construction the heads of the rails are very securelyheld orclamped, and

at the same time the jaws at the lower edges or the clamping plates holdthe webs of the two rails in alignment so that not only are the railssecurely held together. but they are prevented from twisting or turningrelatively so that the flangesoi one rail cannot protrude or extendbeyond, above or below the flanges oi the other rail, with the re ultthat the wheels of the trolleys can travel "ii-om the flanges or onerail to the flanges oi the other without shock. I Additionally thecoupling can be applied very readily and canbe inexpensively formed fromstanipings of suitable thickness to form a coupling oi desired rigidity.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A coupling for two adjoining overhead rails comprising clampingmembers adapted to extend over and to produce clamping pres:- sure downon the heads of the rails, and having detachably connected portions: forengaging the webs of the rails.

2. A coupling for two adjoining overhead rails comp-rising a pair ofclamps adapted of the rails and having also portions adapted to extenddown along and to exert clamping pressure on the webs of the rails.

A coupling tor two adjoining overhead rails comprising a pair of clampshaving crossed portions adapted to extend above the upper portions ofthe rails, and clamping jaws adapted to extend down along the webs ofthe rails, means for producing clamping pressure down on the heads oithe rails, and means for bringing together the upper p013 tions to causethe jaws to exertclamping pressure on the webs.

4. A coupling for a pair of adjoining oven head rails comprisingclampingmeans having a rail head receiving portion comprising detachablyconnected members with shoulders which the lower port-ions oi the headsare adapted to engage, and means for clamping the heads against theshoulders.

5. A coupling for a pair of adj oining rails comprising clamping means.l'iaving a rail head receiving portion with head engaging shouldersadapted to be engaged by the lower portions of the heads, means forclamping the heads down against the shoulders and detachably connectedmembers for engaging opposite sides of the rail webs to'hold them inalignment.

6. A coupling for a pair of adjoining rails comprising a pair of clampshaving head receiving portions with lower head engaging shoulders, jawsbeneath said portions for engaging the webs of the rails, arms above thefirst named portions adapted to be drawn together to cause the jaws toengage the rail I webs, and means for forcing -receivingportions withcrossed arms above the same and web engaging jaws beneath the same,means for clamping the arms together,

'andmeans for forcing the heads: of the rails against the lower parts ofthe head receiving portions. g

I 8. In a coupling for two rails of an overhead trackway, a pair ofclamps with means for causing portions thereof to firmly engage portionsof therailsto hold them inalignment, and means for engaging the heads ofthe rails to hold them against endwise movement.

9. In a coupling for two rails of an overhead trackway, a pair ofclamps'with means for causing portions thereof to firmly engage portionsoi the rails to hold them in alignment, and means comprising a pluralityof holding members adapted to engage the heads of the rails to hold themagainst endwise movement. 7

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature. V

EARL T. BENNINGTON.

